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Lapeer schools chief broke law when fleeing

Posted: 5:49 PM, May 16, 2016

Updated:2016-05-17 15:01:48Z

By:
Jonathan Carlson

Lapeer Community Schools Superintendent Matt Wandrie has been caught on camera committing an apparent hit-and-run.

He sent a letter home to parents, telling them it was a minor "fender bender." He blamed social media for blowing it out of proportion and blew off our questions when we showed up at his office Friday.

The incident, which happened more than two weeks ago in the parking lot at the Lake Inn, shows Wandrie hitting reverse, then smashing his SUV into a smaller SUV that then hits another car.

Wandrie then flees the scene without checking damage, only to return a short time later to check his damage, and park elsewhere. He joins others at the bar.

"That was not just a tap, he smashed into a car and took off pretty fast," says attorney Mike Morse.

We showed Morse the video.

The 7 Investigators dug up state law which clearly states what happened was a misdemeanor, and Wandrie could face time in jail or a minor fine, should the prosecutor file charges. In a nut shell, he broke the law as soon as he drove out of that parking lot.

"He's not allowed to do that, that's breaking the law," says Morse. "You don't just smash into a car like that, take off and pretend nothing happened. He should have stopped, gone inside and found the owner, called the police himself, at the very least put a note on the windshield. He should have done something."

In the police report, he answered "absolutely not" when questioned if he drank too much before driving. But police didn't interview him until two days after the incident.

He also claims he attempted to find the owner of one of the cars after returning to the bar--but never did.

We did, and the owner sent us photos of his damaged SUV. He tells us he has nearly $8,000 in damage and his insurance company says the vehicle should be totaled.

The other car owner whose vehicle was hit is also dealing with damage.

We attempted to talk to the president of the school board. Our calls were not returned.

The prosecutor finally sent us the police report Monday night, days after we requested it for our initial report. We are awaiting comment on if Wandrie will face any charges.

Finally, one of the victims tells us he has verbally accepted a $1,000 payment to help with the insurance deductible - a plan that was brokered he says by a sheriff's deputy. We were unable to get in touch with the sheriff for comment.

Attorney Mike Morse says that is a good gesture on Wandrie's part, but it does not excuse the law he appears to have broken.